Vehicle seats commonly include side air bags to reduce the injury to an occupant of the seat in the event of a side impact. More specifically, an air bag within the seat is inflated in the event of a side impact to a vehicle in a magnitude that is above a predetermined threshold. The air bag is stored in a deflated condition, together with an inflator, in a cavity in the vehicle seat and is configured to exit the seat on the side adjacent to the side structure of the vehicle, such as a door, window or body panel of the vehicle. In the event of a side impact, the air bag is inflated into a position between the vehicle occupant in the vehicle seat and the adjacent side structure of the vehicle. The air bag provides a cushion to reduce potential injury to the occupant.
The vehicle seat is generally includes a frame surrounded by a cushion or foam portion, which in turn is covered with a surface material. The surface material is traditionally stitched with a variety of seams, many of which are chosen for the design effect. Some of the seams are limited to specific locations, such as one seam being particularly limited due to requirement that the air bag rupture the seam during activation. Therefore, vehicle designers have been limited in placement of the side seams in view of requirements for air bags. The air bags generally use seams for controlled ruptures with the stitching or thread bursting in a controlled manner to both direct the air bag, as well as provide a weak area, such that the air bag does not inflate within the seat. In addition to location of the seams, the designers have been limited in using stitching or thread to provide desired longevity while also allowing for controlled rupturing of areas of seams.